What if BfA is Blizzards way of creating a 3rd faction ?

[Dystemper]

Saurfang looks like he is leaving the Horde after being mocked and berated by Sylvannas . Jaina is off the reservation. So we see Saurfang, Khadgar, Magni , Thrall and possibly some of the new allied races band together and form a 3rd faction. Players have wanted it for years .

So maybe this expansion is leading up to a Old Gods showdown but the main theme of BfA is the formation of a third faction made up with the new allied races and some old familiar faces?

Possible?

[A Chozo]

It's possible, but it would be horribily dumb for the gameplay. Dead game.

[Shockzalot]

Did you don your tinfoil hat?

[Ooid]

The player base doesn’t need to be split up even more.

[Khaza-R]

They pretty much have said that the game is so built around a two faction system they have intention of changing it.

[Dystemper]

They pretty much have said that the game is so built around a two faction system they have intention of changing it.

They have said a lot of things and later changed it. Having a 3rd faction opens up quite a lot of possibilities story wise. It could be a neutral faction. In PVp the neutral faction could choose Alliance or Horde to play for. Personally I think It would add a lot to the game as far as depth.

[Aevari]

The idea of Saurfang joining the Alliance with Draenor Orcs is more plausible than this theory I think.

[Dystemper]

The idea of Saurfang joining the Alliance with Draenor Orcs is more plausible than this theory I think.

It's possible Le. But a 3rd faction being formed would actually make more sense. In both alliance and Horde you have the extremists and the traditionalists. The only real way to solve it is either kill off a lot of lore carachter's agsin, or have them or the others splitting off.

[Aevari]

It's possible Le. But a 3rd faction being formed would actually make more sense. In both alliance and Horde you have the extremists and the traditionalists. The only real way to solve it is either kill off a lot of lore carachter's agsin, or have them or the others splitting off.

I'm not against a 3rd faction, especially if it'd have the heroes in it that you mentioned in your opening post. However... If you were to have a 3rd faction, what would be the point of keeping a character on Horde or Alliance if a 3rd faction is available for existing races? Would there really be an equal distribution of players for each of the 3 factions? And wouldn't a 3rd faction helmed by Khadgar and like minded be unrealistic given that they don't want conflict to continue?? Making a 3rd faction wouldn't set those heroes minds at ease. Abolishing factions entirely and getting true peace would be what Khadgar would want (for example) not another faction.

[Notshauna]

It's EXTREMELY unlikely that it's anything of the sort. First and foremost, the gameplay concerns are massive, you can't just move existing players into another faction and you can't launch a new faction 14-15 years into a game's life span. WoW is designed specifically around antagonistic factions, to the point where so much of the game is divided on faction lines. Though the biggest issue is a simple one, factions aren't good for the game. It limits player's abilities to play with each other for virtually no benefit (open world PvP is the only factor I can actually think of, and most players hate it).

There is also the factor that from a narrative sense the faction conflict as severely limited the development of the different cultures of the world. Hence why the Humans and Orcs have received more development than the rest of the races combined.

[Drusin]

How would battlegrounds work with a third faction?

[Doctor Amadeus]

I don't know lore wise it would be very stupid unless it is done right.

I think the appeal is that a third faction hates both the Alliance and Horde Equally, which honestly isn't very realistic, the way it would have to happen is there would need to be a split in on of the already factions, which in doing so would have to make one weaker.

Now whatever Third faction wouldn't per say hate both the same way or for the same reasons, so as I said it would depend on how it was done.

The best scenario would be something happening where an outside force neither related to either, neither friend or enemy with either, being a third faction. That way the third faction could be hostile in say PVP with either Alliance or Horde, but it wouldn't be related, which is the only pure form of Third faction that would fit in a World of Warcraft.

- - - Updated - - -

How would battlegrounds work with a third faction?

Keep it the same way, allow the Third faction to build, and when and if it does it gets a turn at BG if not then it will stay the Alliance or Horde.

[Eraclito]

It's possible Le. But a 3rd faction being formed would actually make more sense.

Dude, no, it wouldn't make ANY sense. Already there're issue in fulling battleground, and they had to connect realms to try overthrowing some player faction imbalances.
It will NEVER happen. It's way more likely (and STILL NOT LIKELY) they decrease the walls between Horde and Alliance, allowing us to talk with each other (since Pandaren, Blood/Void Elves and Demon Hunters can already do that) or even to join instances / pve content together. But no third factions, forget it.

[Dystemper]

PvP has been less and less of a concern for Blizzard. As I said the BG issue could be fixed by allowing the neutral faction or 3rd faction could pick either side. No one would be forced to join a new faction, they would allow faction changes ( new income stream) and new toons to choose . It seems , story wise they have been heading this way for a while.